Weather In Middle-Earth Or Tolkien: The Weather-Master?, Jonas Mertens

Journal of Tolkien Research

Abstract

This article attempts to shed light on the use of weather in general and meteorological expressions in The Lord of the Rings, as J. R. R. Tolkien is well known to be a writer for whom the environment and natural world is closely intertwined with his storytelling. Both a manual count and a count which a digital text analysis tool were combined to find the frequency of previously selected weather terms. In total, more than 2,000 references were found in the books, with the words ‘sun’, ‘wind’ and ‘cold’ being the most abundant. Meteorological expressions are frequently encountered in …

Investigation Of Idabel, Oklahoma Ozone Concentration Pre- And Post-Frontal Passage, Veronica Fall, Alexander Kotsakis

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Fifty-eight ozone profiles from Oklahoma State University’s Kiamichi Forestry Research Station in Idabel, OK have been collected over the last three years. This has been made possible through funding from the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality. The data has provided an opportunity to see what was happening meteorologically that affected ozone concentrations. With ozone being the primary cause of short and long-term respiratory issues, the impact of weather on air quality is something that is still being researched. Ozone pre-cursor emitters such as Dallas, Oklahoma City, Longview, and Texarkana surround Idabel. Meteorological conditions such as temperature, wind speed, and direction …

Enhancing Interest In Stem At Nw Indiana Middle And High Schools Through Balloon Launches And Tracking, Mark Spychala, Raymond Finzel

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Our vision with this project is to develop and implement a research project led by undergraduates from Valparaiso University (VU) that would involve the participation of local middle and high school students in innovative balloon payloads . Under the guidance of Dr. Gary Morris, two VU undergraduate students will develop their designs, then present and test their system at local schools to help instill excitement about STEM in curious young minds. All students (college, middle, and high school) gain knowledge, experience, and confidence in STEM-related areas. The primary goal of this project is to provide competency-building education and research opportunities …

Quantifying The Deep Convective Temperature Signal Within The Tropical Tropopause Layer (Ttl), Thomas Birner

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Dynamics on a vast range of spatial and temporal scales, from individual convective plumes to planetary-scale circulations, play a role in driving the temperature variability in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). Here, we aim to better quantify the deep convective temperature signal within the TTL using multiple datasets. First, we investigate the link between ozone and temperature in the TTL using the Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) dataset. Low ozone concentrations in the TTL are indicative of deep convective transport from the boundary layer. We confirm the usefulness of ozone as an indicator of deep convection by identifying a typical …

Future Project Foci: Contrast, Laura Pan

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

No abstract provided.

Future Project Foci: Battrex, Joan Alexander

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

No abstract provided.

Correlated Variability Of Upwelling And Tracers Near The Tropical Tropopause, Marta Abalos

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Tropical upwelling should exert strong influence on temperatures and on tracers with large vertical gradients in the lower stratosphere. We test this behavior by comparing three upwelling estimates calculated from ERA‐Interim reanalysis data with observed temperatures in the tropical lower stratosphere, and with measurements of ozone and carbon monoxide (CO) from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite instrument. Time series of temperature, ozone and CO are well correlated in the tropical lower stratosphere, and we quantify the influence of tropical upwelling on this joint variability. Strong coherent annual cycles observed in each quantity are found to reflect the seasonal …

Comparison Between Microphysical Model Simulation And Observed Cirrus Clouds Formation Within A Volcanic Aerosol Layer In The Tropical Tropopause Layer, Mayuko Sakurai

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

In order to know the formation process of cirrus clouds in tropical tropopause layer, we used a microphysical numerical model to calculate nucleation and growing process of cirrus cloud particles, and compared the results of the model simulations with observed results. The observations compared had been performed at Biak, Indonesia in January 2011. Formation of cirrus clouds was observed by lidar in an aerosol layer at the altitude from 17.5 to 19 km. The backscatter coefficient of cirrus clouds was 10^-8~10^-7/m/str and number concentration was estimated less than 10⁵/m³. Calculated results by …

Dehydration In The Ttl Estimated From The Water Vapor Match, Yoichi Inai

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

The match method is applied to the quantification of the dehydration process in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) over the western Pacific. The match pairs are sought from the Soundings of Ozone and Water in the Equatorial Region (SOWER) campaign network observations with the use of isentropic trajectories. For those pairs identified, extensive screening procedures are performed to verify the representativeness of the air parcel and the validity of the isentropic treatment and to check possible water injection by deep convection, consistency between the sonde data and analysis field, and conservation of the ozone content. Among those pairs remaining, we …

Development Of A Balloon-Born Peltier-Based Chilled-Mirror Hygrometer For The Troposphere And The Lower Stratosphere, Takuji Sugidachi

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

We have developed a new balloon-borne hygrometer, which is based on a chilled-mirror principle and uses a two stage Peltier cooler. In January 2012, we have conducted flight tests at Biak, Indonesia (1.18⁰S, 136.11⁰E) to evaluate the performances of this sensor. The result showed that this hygrometer has the ability to measure atmospheric water vapor from the surface to the lower stratosphere. It is considered that our hygrometer is helpful for TTL observation campaigns because of its ease-in-handling.

Diurnal Variability Of Total Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide And Sulfurdioxide Columns Over, Wiwiek Setyawati

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Atmospheric ozone plays important role in preserving living things on Earth from harmful solar ultraviolet radiation. Atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) act as very important substances as precursor and destructor of atmospheric ozone. Knowing the importance of these substances therefore LAPAN has conducted observations of total ozone, NO2 and SO2 columns in Bandung since 2007 using brewer spectrophotometer. Bandung is an urban area and a capital city of West Java province where rapid development of trading, tourism and industrial activities has declined its air quality. Diurnal variability of total ozone column showed its minimum around 11:00 AM …

Atmospheric Temperature Tides In The Tropical Upper Troposphere And Lower Stratosphere, Takatoshi Sakazaki

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Atmospheric thermal tides are global-scale waves with periods that are harmonics of a solar day, mainly excited by diurnally varying diabatic heating in the troposphere and the stratosphere. Some recent studies suggested that the tidal temperature variations in the TTL might affect the appearance of cirrus clouds and, thus, the dehydration process. It should be noted, however, that the global pattern of diurnal temperature variations in the TTL still remains unclear. In this study, we aim at revealing the 3D structure of diurnal temperature variations around the TTL, including its seasonal variations, by using data from global reanalyses for the …

Intraseasonal To Interannual Variations Of The Temperature Structure Around The Tropical Tropopause And Their Relationships With Convective Activities, Eriko Nishimoto

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Space-time variability in the tropical tropopause temperatures and its relationship with convective activities are examined by using the ERA40/ERA-interim re-analysis and NOAA/OLR data sets. Low temperatures around the tropical tropopause generally occur over the equator and extend northwestward and southwestward in the subtropics to form the horseshoe-shaped structure. This structure resembles a stationary wave response known as the Matsuno-Gill pattern, which is a superposition of the Rossby and Kelvin responses. Because of this, the two preliminary indices are first defined to represent the two responses. The horseshoe-shaped structure index is then calculated from the two indices. The seasonal and interannual …

The Dehydration Process In The Tropical Tropopause Layer, Moe Yamaki

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Water vapor contributes to the radiation budget of earth and the photochemistry of ozone. Therefore, it is important to understand the variation of water vapor in the research of global warming and ozone depletion. Noting that the saturation water vapor mixing ratio in the Cold-Point Tropopause (CPT) is not always a good estimate of water amount entering the stratosphere, Selkirk et al. (2010) defined the Tropopause Saturation Layer (TSL) using the cryogenic frostpoint hygrometer data taken in the tropical eastern Pacific during Northern Hemisphere summer. In the present study, the effectiveness of TSL is examined by using the SOWER data …

Testing The Role Of Radiation In Determining Tropical Cloud Top Temperature, Bryce Harrop

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Tropical anvil clouds that detrain near the mixing barrier near 13km in the tropics have a strong effect on the longwave and shortwave energy budgets of Earth. A cloud-resolving model is used to test the Fixed Anvil Temperature (FAT) Hypothesis proposed by Hartmann and Larson (2002). Results show that the radiative cooling, primarily due to water vapor, is the strongest control of the anvil cloud detrainment temperature. Water vapor concentrations are largely controlled by temperature, so, following the FAT hypothesis, the cloud detrainment should follow a fixed temperature. The results also show, however, that ozone contributes a significant heating rate …

Cirrus And Water Vapor Transport In The Tropical Tropopause Layer: A Modeling Study, Tra Dinh

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

In simulations of tropical-tropopause-layer (TTL) cirrus forced by a large-scale equatorial Kelvin wave, we show that the radiatively induced mesoscale dynamics in these clouds actively contributes to vertical transport of water vapor. In a typical TTL cirrus, the heating that results from absorption of radiation by ice crystals induces a mesoscale circulation. Advection of water vapor by the radiatively induced circulation leads to upward advection of the cloudy air. Upward advection of the cloudy air is equivalent to upward transport of water vapor when the air above the cloud is drier than the cloudy air. On the other hand, ice …

Analysis Of The Tropical Tropopause Layer Using The Global Nonhydrostatic Atmospheric Model, Hiroyasu Kubokawa

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of The Ttl Cirrus And Their Convective Origin - A Water Perspective, Tao Wang, Andrew Dessler

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Two mechanisms are thought to be primarily responsible for the formation of cirrus in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL): detrainment from deep convective anvils and in situ initiation. By analyzing water vapor measurements from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and ice water content measurements from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO), we identify TTL cirrus that contain too much ice to have been formed in situ—and therefore must be of convective origin. Analyzing 3 years of CALIPSO measurements (2008–2010), we found three maxima in the occurrence of convective cirrus: equatorial Africa, the tropical western Pacific, and …

The Representation Of The Ttl In A Tropical Channel Version Of Wrf Model, Stephanie Evan

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

In this study, the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model is used to investigate key physical processes controlling the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) temperature and water vapor distributions in December-January-February (DJF) 2006. The model domain is configured as a tropical channel with a horizontal grid-spacing of 37 km, a vertical grid-spacing of 500 m and a top at 0.1 hPa. Initial and boundary conditions are set using European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Reanalysis Interim data. An ozone distribution computed from satellite and ozonesonde measurements is used for radiative forcing calculations.

The modelʼs ability to replicate observed TTL temperature variability …

Water Vapor And Cloud Formation In The Ttl: Simulation Results Vs. Satellite Observations, Tao Wang, Andrew Dessler, Mark Schoeberl

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

Driven by analyzed winds and temperature, domain-filling forward trajectory calculations are used to reproduce water vapor and cloud formations in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). As with most Lagrangian models of this type, excess water vapor is instantaneously removed from the parcel to keep the relative humidity with respect to ice from exceeding a specified (super) saturation level. The dehydration occurrences serve as an indication of where and when cloud forms. Convective moistening through ice lofting and gravity waves are also included in our simulations as mechanisms that could affect water vapor abundances and cloud formations in the TTL. Our …

Constraining Middle Atmospheric Mositure In Geos-5 Using Eos-Mls Observations, Jianjun Jin

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

No abstract provided.

On The Turbulent Mixing And Ozone Variations Around The Tropical Tropopause Associated With Kelvin Waves, Kazunari Koishi

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

The observed variations of ozone around the tropical tropopause layer in relation to large-scale waves both in the altitude and isentropic coordinates were examined by analyzing ozonesondes provided by SHADOZ (Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes). Because ozone near this level can be used for the tracer of atmospheric motion, we regarded an ozone enhancement as the signal of a turbulent mixing. Focusing on the vertical fine structure of ozone and temperature, this study presents observed variations of 10 stations near the equator. Based on the signals of Kelvin waves (an eastward-traveling component of equatorial waves) which is filtered in the spectral-frequency …

Data Assimilation, Kazuyuki Miyazaki

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

No abstract provided.

Stratospheric Dynamics (Including Waves), Joan Alexander

U.S. - Japan Bilateral Workshop on the Tropical Tropopause Layer: State of the Current Science and Future Observational Needs

No abstract provided.

November Snowfall Variability And Trends Around Lake Michigan: Sensitivity To Temperature And Teleconnection Patterns, Amanda Bandurski, Justin Barrick, Kristin Smedley

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Using available long-term stations, November climatology of temperature and snowfall since 1950 has been composited for the region near Lake Michigan. Daily data was examined for the available stations to explore the monthly temperature and snowfall, the number of days with snowfall, and snow cover. The characteristics of six sub-region composites were compared using composites around Lake Michigan, respectively. Early season snowfall is much more common in the eastern sub-regions, implying a dominant role of lake-effect snowfall to the overall climatology. The number of days with snowfall is greater in the eastern sub-regions. Western and eastern sub-regions both exhibit a …

Gis Mapping And Analysis Of Lake-Effect Snowfall Patterns In Indiana And Sw Michigan, Holly Boney, Matthew Christy

Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Using a multi-decade climatology of lake-effect snowfall events in northern Indiana and adjacent southwest Michigan, a Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis has been developed to explore the spatial patterns of snowfall, as well as the relationship between snowfall and upstream sounding parameters. Using a minimum peak snowfall threshold of five cm reported at one of the available locations with long-term snow reports, there are ~250 cases in the data set. While there are numerous additional reports available for more recent events, particularly with CoCoRAHs data, only the stations available for the entire period were used for the analysis. While reducing …

A Balloon Sounding Technique For Measuring So2 Plumes, Gary A. Morris, Walter D. Komhyr, Jun Hirokawa, James Flynn, Barry Lefer, Nicholay Krotokov, Fong Ngan

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

This paper reports on the development of a new technique for inexpensive measurements of SO2 profiles using a modified dual-ozonesonde instrument payload. The presence of SO2 interferes with the standard electrochemical cell (ECC) ozonesonde measurement, resulting in –1 molecule of O3 reported for each molecule of SO2 present (provided [O3].[SO2]). In laboratory tests, an SO2 filter made with CrO3 placed on the inlet side of the sonde removes nearly 100% of the SO2 present for concentrations up to 60 ppbv and remained effective after exposure to 2.8 3 1016 molecules of SO2 [equivalent to a column ;150 DU (1 DU …

Trajectory Mapping: A Tool For Validation Of Trace Gas Observations, Gary A. Morris, James F. Gleason, Jerald Ziemke, Mark R. Schoeberl

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

We investigate the effectiveness of trajectory mapping(TM) as a data validation tool. TM combines a dynamical model of the atmosphere with trace gas observations to provide more statistically robust estimates of instrument performance over much broader geographic areas than traditional techniques are able to provide. We present four detailed case studies selected so that the traditional techniques are expected to work well. In each case the TM results are equivalent to or improve upon the measurement comparisons performed with traditional approaches. The TM results are statistically more robust than those achieved using traditional approaches since the TM comparisons occur over …